Schoolboys hit by bus remain in intensive care

DUBAI // Two boys who suffered multiple injuries when a school bus reversed into them have spent a third day recovering in the intensive care unit of Rashid Hospital yesterday.

Sharoz Khan, 10, of Pakistan, and Aslam Basha, 16, of India, were walking towards their bus at 4.30pm on Tuesday. They were heading home following their examinations when the accident happened.

“The boys have several fractures and are under observation,” said a spokesman for Rashid Hospital. “Both the boys are still in the intensive care unit.”

The Dubai Traffic Police said the incident was the 14th case this year of minors being injured in traffic accidents.

Maj Gen Mohammed Al Zaffien, the director of the Dubai Traffic Police Administration, said that four children had died in traffic accidents since the beginning of the year in Dubai.

The school bus driver, who has not been identified, was arrested immediately after Tuesday’s accident. Prosecutors would not comment on whether the driver has been charged.

Rasul Syed Mirza Ghalib, the principal of the school in Al Nahda area, said the driver had switched on the ignition so that he could cool off the bus with the air conditioning, not realising that the vehicle was in gear. The bus lurched back and hit the children, he said.

When asked about the school’s safety systems, Mr Ghalib insisted that the driver had adhered to regulations.

“We follow all the rules for safety of our students, but this was an accident and it took place in the car park,” he said. “It was sad and unfortunate for the students.”

The boys require constant care due to the extent of the injuries to their limbs, hips and chests.

“It is very difficult for us to see him in so much pain because of the fractures and the bleeding,” said Nayad Khan, Sharoz Khan’s uncle. “He was supposed to go back to Pakistan for his vacation but instead he is in a hospital bed.”

Both boys had three to four examination papers remaining before the school closed for the summer holiday, family members said.